Begin Again | Sam Wilson

Chapter Thirty Eight

"She said what?" Sam yelled into the phone to his sister while they walked down the road, trying to figure out their next steps. "Right. Hold on, hold on. I know, I know. Listen, pack an overnight bag and take the boys. Go somewhere safe. Only pay cash. I know. I love you."

"What happened?" Bucky asked after he hung up.

"Karli called Sarah. She threatened my nephews. Karli wants to meet. She left a contact number." Sam told them as his phone went off. "She said come alone."

Bucky glanced at Brianna and then back at Sam. "We are coming with you."

"Guys, no. Something could-" Sam tried to talk, but Brianna stopped him.

"Bucky's right." She spoke gently, trying to calm him down. "This could be a trap or something."

"That's easy for you to say. It's not your family they're threatening." He spoke harshly.

Brianna drew back with wide eyes. Sam had never spoken to her in such a way. She knew he was scared and stressed out. "They're my family just as much as my dad, stepparents and siblings are. I'm going to change."

Brianna brushed past him and Sam knew he had fucked up. She tried her best to focus on the mission as they arrived at the building Karli wanted to meet at, but Sam's words were proving to be a distraction.

"Karli!" Sam yelled as they walked out into the open. "You called my sister? That's how we're gonna play this?"

They all froze when they saw Karli come into view from the balcony. They walked up the stairs so Sam could talk to her. Bucky and her kept their distance.

"I would never hurt her.I wanted to understand you better." Karli told him. Her eyes landed on Bucky and Brianna. "I see you didn't come alone."

"You have to end this now." Sam said with a warning tone.

"I don't wanna hurt you. You're a tool in the regimes I want to destroy. You're not hiding behind a shield. If I were to kill you, it'd be meaningless. I was gonna ask you to join me. Or do the world a favor and let me go." Karli continued.

Their coms cracked and they heard Sharon's voice. "Hey, Sam, new Cap is moving, looks like he's found them, or maybe they found him."

"It's Walker." Sam told them.

Bucky jumped off the balcony while Sam flew. Bri chose the stairs, which was a mistake. She was greeted by one of the Flag Smashers and he didn't look too happy. She swallowed thickly and the guy ran at her. She just narrowly missed being run into but felt her body collide with the concrete wall. His hand wrapped around her throat and she gasped. She reached blindly towards her waist. She couldn't get to her arrows, but she had to have some sort of weapon.

Her hand wrapped around something small in her pocket. A hairpin. A hairpin? It would have to do. She kneed the guy in the stomach and briefly released her. She drove the pin into his eye and he screamed. It provided a distraction for her to run. She lifted her watch up to see what location Sam had sent her and began to run. Her throat felt raw from the man's hand around it, but she tried to her best to ignore the pain.

When she entered the first floor of the building, she found it empty, but she could hear the sound of an altercation above her. She ascended the stairs two at a time with her bow in one hand. She heard the sound of footsteps behind her and she spun around, her arrow ready to fire.

"Lamar?" She asked and lowered it down. He didn't look good. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Come on." He said and she followed him up more stairs.

When they finally found the room where everyone was fighting, Brianna look around to asses the situation. Bucky, Sam and Walker were all fighting the super soldiers. Walker was doing the worst. She watched helplessly as Lamar ran towards Karli. He pushed her away from Walker, but she was able to grab him. Her heart stopped as she threw him against a pillar. She heard the sound of bones snapping and then Lamar's body went limp.

Brianna's eyes widened. No, she didn't like Walker or Lamar, but he didn't deserve to die. Walker also didn't deserve to watch his best friend die. She watched as Walker ambled over to his friend as if there were weights attached to his feet. He knelt down and shook him gently. He was dead. Walker knew it. They all knew it. Brianna walked over to him slowly and knelt down next to him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"He's gone, John." She said softly, trying to calm him down. "He's gone."

Walker ignored every word she said. Instead, he stood up and faced the Flag Smashers. They all ran away, including Sam and Bucky. Brianna stood up quickly and followed suit. Just as they reached outside they saw Walker. They all stopped when they saw him towering over the body of one of the Flag Smashers. His head had been removed from his body. Her eyes followed down Walker's arm and felt her stomach churn when she saw blood dripping from the shield. She watched as Walker started running.

"Go. I've got this." She told Sam and Bucky.

Brianna understood Walker's pain. She really did, but it was no excuse to murder someone in front of a city full of people. She walked over to the body slowly and swallowed back bile threatening to escape her throat. She looked around for something to cover up the body. She at least owed the man that much. She looked to her side to see an older woman removed her paprika. She held it out to Brianna.

Brianna wrapped her hand around the fabric and nodded her head. "Thank you."

Sirens could be heard in the distance as she covered up most of the body. While the scene was gruesome, what lingered in the back of her mind was Sam and Bucky's safety. As soon as the police arrived, she started running in the direction of where they were. Her heart pounded against her chest. She had no idea what awaited her at the building they were in. She didn't even know if Sam or Bucky were alive.

Her faced paled when she Walker laying on the ground, unconscious with a clearly broken arm. Sam knelt on the ground with the shield in hand. He attempted to clean the blood off with a gloved hand, but it wasn't work. She could see him fighting off tears as he did so. She walked over to him slowly and sunk to her knees. Her eyes traced over his cuts on his face, but that didn't worry her. It was the look in his eyes. He wasn't okay.

She reached out slowly and gently cupped his face with her hand. "Sam..."

The shield dropped from his hand against the concrete floor with a loud clang. Sam reached out and wrapped his arms around her tightly and began to sob. She had never heard Sam cry before and she never wanted to hear it again. Her heart shattered into a million pieces as his body shook against her's. She gently laid her head against his and didn't move until he stopped crying. It took him a while, but he finally pulled back to look at her.

"Brianna..." he tried to speak.

She shook her head. "Don't. It's okay. You don't need to apologize to me."

He drew her in for a deep kiss. The hand that wasn't covered in blood held her face. It was a quick kiss, but it meant everything to the two of them. She helped Sam stand up and he picked the shield up from the ground. He looked down at it with a frown and then back at Brianna.

"Captain." She said, the corners of her mouth threatening to turn into a smile.